UFC flyweights Manel Kape and Kai Kara-France have been vocal about their distain for one another. Photo: Photosport
It has all the elements for an explosion.
Two bitter rivals, one stage, high stakes, and the world watching.
Kiwi flyweight Kai Kara-France is set for the biggest fight of his career when he gets his second shot at undisputed gold on 29 June against champion Alexandre Pantoja.
Undoubtedly by design, Kara-France will share the UFC 317 card with an old nemesis, Manel Kape.
The animosity between the pair is palpable, and was on full display at the UFC media conference in 2023 in Sydney.
Originally scheduled to fight each other, Kara -France was forced to pull out due to injury, a move which prompted Kape to call Kara-France a "p***y".
As well as insults, Kape also threw a bottle at Kara-France, prompting intervention form City Kick Boxing teammate Israel Adesanya.
Should they cross paths in Vegas, Kara-France does not intend to be civil.
"If he does try anything on the stage at the weigh-ins or media day, if he tries to throw a bottle at me, it's not going to be the same reaction. This is definitely personal. I don't like the guy. I think he's a clown. I think he's very insecure and very entitled, and in the fight game, the circle's too small. Eventually we're going to run into each other."
The 34-year old said karma will catch Kape.
"All that talk you've been doing, eventually you're going to be humbled and he needs a bit of humble pie. I would love to do it, but I want to make sure I get paid to do it. So, that fight's always going to be in front of me, but right now all my eyes are set on Pantoja and being the first one to knock him out."
Should Kara-France prevail against Pantoja, he said Kape would be an ideal first defence, and he said he would love to see it run in his own backyard.
"He's got a tough fight in front of him, but if he does win, I can see the UFC setting that up. So, I would love to, obviously not looking past Pantoja, but I would love to defend my first title defence at home at Spark Arena, or Eden Park and stack the card with the best New Zealand and Australia talent," Kara-France said.
"That's always been a dream of mine to win a world title and to defend back at home, defend the whenua."
